Diamond-Graphite Nanoplatelet Surfaces as Conductive Substrates for the Electrical Stimulation of Cell Functions

abstract

The nanocarbon allotropes constitute valid alternatives when designing control and actuation devices for electrically assisted tissue regeneration purposes, gathering among them important characteristics such as chemical inertness, biocompatibility, extreme mechanical properties, and, importantly, low and tailorable electrical resistivity, In this work, coatings of thin (100 nm) vertically aligned nanoplatelets composed of diamond (5 nm) and graphite were produced via a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) technique and used as substrates for electrical stimulation of MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts. Increasing the amount of N-2 up to 14.5 vol % during growth lowers the coatings'-electrical resistivity by over 1 order of magnitude, triggers the nanoplatelet vertical growth, and leads to the higher crystalline quality of the nanographite phase. When preosteoblasts were cultured on these substrates and subjected to two consecutive, daily cycles of 3 mu A direct current stimulation, enhanded cell proliferation and metabolism were observed accompanied by high cell viability. Furthermore, in the absence of DC stimulation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity is increased significantly, denoting an up-regulating effect of preosteoblastic maturation intrinsically exerted by the nanoplatelet substrates.

keywords

TISSUE ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS; PROTEIN ADSORPTION; NANOFIBROUS SCAFFOLDS; DRUG-DELIVERY; MTT ASSAY; ADHESION; PROLIFERATION; BIOMATERIALS; DIFFERENTIATION; MORPHOLOGY

subject category

Science & Technology - Other Topics; Materials Science

authors

Santos, NF; Cicuendez, M; Holz, T; Silva, VS; Fernandes, KJS; Vila, M; Costa, FM

our authors

Groups

acknowledgements

The financial funding from the FCT projects [NANOCARBOMEMS PTDC/CTM-NAN/117284/2010 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-020025) and PEst-C/CTM/LA0025/2013-14] is gratefully acknowledged. N.F.S. acknowledges financial support from the FCT [PhD Grant SFRH/BD/90017/2012]. M.C. acknowledges financial support from the FCT [Post-Doctoral Grant SFRH/BPD/101468/2014]. V.S.S. acknowledges financial support from the FCT [Post-Doctoral Grant SFRH/BPD/110269/2015]. M.V. acknowledges financial support from the FCT principal Investigator grant. The authors thank Prof. Paula Polonia Goncalves and Prof. Filipe Oliveira for providing the necessary conditions for carrying out the experimental work.

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